Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Adventitious bud foliage on a mature Virginia pine.


This is a rare example of a pine that has foliage from an adventitious bud that has persisted as the tree has continued to grow. I am not sure the cause of this phenomena. I was unable to propagate this. I thought at the time that is would stay in a bushy form if propagated but now I believe it could eventually revert back to normal growth. This plant lived behind Weddington School but the first time volunteers encountered this tree they whacked it down. Viruses can cause adventitious buds to sprout. I also see adventitious buds on pines that have been girdled by animals or equipment. I really don't know what happened here.

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